Communication using high-speed optical networks is typically based on a fixed transmission data rate per channel or per line card regardless of the transmission distance. For example, Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) optical systems typically have a fixed data rate such as 10 Gb/s, 40 Gb/s or 100 Gb/s, where the rate depends on the generation and vintage of the optical equipment. Emerging optical transmission technologies, such as a coherent optical modem, can enable a variable transmission rate where the system transmits at the highest rate that is possible for the transmission channel, in a manner analogous to DSL networks.
However, even with such variable rate systems, the higher layers in the network, including the application layer, cannot easily take advantage of the available higher data rate because the link control layer is fixed and the application layer is blind to the transmission layer. Moreover, in known network architectures, the transmission layer may be abstracted (presented) to the higher layers as single transmission profile that is characterized by the channel throughput and guaranteed bit error rate. Such systems may not provide optimal transmission throughput.